About David
David Clapham’s recent paintings and constructions were created in and around his studio in Central Portugal, reflecting his artistic journey over the past twenty years. His work draws inspiration from two landscapes close to his heart: the Ceira Valley near Góis in Central Portugal and the views across the river at Rotherhithe in South London.
Each piece explores the duality of these locations, merging memories of life in both places into a unified image. The theme of duality has been an enduring preoccupation for Clapham whose early childhood was spent in the shadow of the 2nd World War. For him, art has become a transformative process, reworking negative experiences into something meaningful and positive.
“It is only when you complete an exhibition that you experience the full recognition of what you have achieved and the general direction your work is going in. In my latest installation pieces, I deal with various levels of transparencies, and by using modern printing techniques using voile as a basic material, I can build a lightweight sculptural form. This incorporates my painted images and allows fluidity and movement in the image”.
“The fluidity is drawn from observation of the rivers of Ceira and the Thames. In Portugal where we live in the mountains the rapid changing light and weather are in marked contrast to the flatness of London light. This is mirrored in the cultural beliefs and superstitions that influence the way we feel and live in each place. I am concerned by inherited memory, I am not looking at nature to represent what we see, it’s looking through the Lens of history and recollections that set-in motion a series of memories, of a moment in time, that represent a true reality, and is intended to convey feelings of history and the present in a single juxtaposition”.
Clapham’s approach has been deeply influenced by psychoanalytic theory, which he studied while at University College London. These ideas, combined with the powerful imagery of Goya’s Black Paintings—a key influence on Francis Bacon—and the metaphysical themes in the works of American author Thomas Pynchon, continue to inform his artistic philosophy and practice.
In 1967, Clapham organised Yoko Ono’s Music of the Mind event at the Bluecoat Arts Centre and Liverpool College of Art, a groundbreaking project that highlighted his early involvement in the avant-garde arts scene.
Between 1989 and 2001, Clapham worked as a producer and director of documentary television productions for leading broadcasters including the BBC, Granada TV, Channel 4, Swedish TV, and RAI TV Italy. His work took him to diverse locations such as Kazakhstan, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, the Canary Islands, and Gibraltar. Additionally, he undertook corporate productions in Italy, the USA, the Balearic Islands, the Republic of Ireland, and Gran Canaria.
In 1976, he co-founded the Bridewell Studios in Liverpool, where he established studio spaces that hosted residencies for prominent artists such as Anish Kapoor, Ian McKeever, and Adrian Wiszniewski, as well as providing rehearsal space for the iconic band The Spitfire Boys, who later became Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
From 2016 to 2021, Clapham served as a board member for the Raizvanguarda International Arts Festival in Góis, Portugal, supporting the festival’s mission to foster artistic exchange and innovation.
In 2010, Clapham appeared as a supporting actor in Chris Shepherd’s film Bad Night for the Blues, which won the Canal+ Prize and was featured at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.
Clapham’s artwork has been acquired for collections in the USA, Angola, Germany, Portugal, and the UK, reflecting its global appeal and significance.